beach vacation with toddler and baby..what to take?

[chkpea]

I always end up packing way to much! looking for advice from others who have done this...what "stuff" did you pack and couldn't live without? We are gone for a week. Non-crawling 8 month old and almost 3 year old.

[TCMoulton]

A bucket and shovel kept my almost 2 year old and 1 year old quite happy when we went to the beach last spring! Sunscreen was a must to keep their fair skin burn free as well. I also kept a clean towel and bottle of clean water for washing the saltwater out of little eyes (if you are vacationing by saltwater that is!) I also brought quite a few bathing suits so that if we wanted to return to the beach or pool before their suits had dried we didn't have to go through the agony of putting on a cold wet suit!

Have a wonderful vacation!

[alexsam]

I agree- a bucket and shovel are totally diverse and can be a million things. Also, a ball can go a long way. Water bottles are a must, as is lotion.

Clothing wise for the beach: Sandals, t-shirt, suits, towels. Other that you may not think of: Sweatshirt (nights can be chilly), jeans/sweatpants, sneakers.

I'd also bring a small toy or have a plan for a rainy day...

Also, for the baby, they sell these great little sun tents! Pop-up, easy, meant for sunshade. A good place for a snooze or to be out of the sun for a little bit...

[faithnj]

I just went to the beach yesterday. Depending on where you are, having warm, dry clothes at the beach was a must for us. Even though the days were sunny, the wind whipping off the ocean made DD feel cold while she was playing on the sand.

Faith
(Who was also happy to have wet wipes and snacks....and a camera!!!)

[bri276]

I second the sun tent. umbrellas work okay for the sun too but sometimes the sand and wind gets to be overstimulating especially for naps.

oh, and watermelon.

[TCMoulton]

One more thing - we also bought my 2 year old a pair of children's goggles - she loved wearing them and they kept the sand and water out of her eyes!

[mightymoo]

I am going in two weeks? - goggles are a great idea! I have no idea if my DD will be willing to wear them though. My DS just started walking, so I invested in two superyards I can put together to form a big fenced area I can sit in with him without having to worry about him taking off for the water. I knew if I didn't have anything I would have no fun myself chasing after him all day long.

I'm bringing a sun umbrella, two sunsuits for both of them (covers torso & upper arms and legs with sun protection), lots of sand toys. Some sort of non-removable floatation device - you know the kind built into a suit? I will have to check whether the ones I have fit them now. I don't plan on letting them near the water without an adult right there, but if for some reason they did get out of my reach I want them to float and not sink.

[reezley]

We are not beach people but happened to go on an one-night trip last week to a lake house my sister rented for the week. We only have 21-month-old ds. We went to the little beach about 3-4 times during the two days there, and he was totally occupied with a shovel and two pails. It helped that his 2 older cousins were there, but he mostly was interested in just moving sand and water around, and making sand castles!

We had water shoes for ds, sometimes he wore them, sometimes not, but we were glad we had them. A good sun hat and sunscreen (as a younger baby he would take off sunglasses and now he'll leave them on but they leave marked around his nose. We just can't find perfect sunglasses!). We brought a couple new puzzles and books for him for the down time and evening time.
Purell wipes, or other wipes. Snacks and water. Have a great trip!

[Finch]

Jogging stroller. Or something with big wheels that moves easily over sand. Regular strollers do NOT move easily over sand. Your kids WILL get tired and so will you, and carrying them in the sling will get tiring when schlepping through that soft, dry sand that is the hardest to walk through.

I second the umbrella or sun tent, the sun gets exhausting. We brought kites last year, and they were kinda fun, ds liked to watch them dive.

We go to the beach for a week every year.

[Mama2Bug]

We just got back from the beach a few weeks ago. My dd is 21 months old, so she's kind of in between your kids' ages. The best thing we brought was a "mini pool." It is a tiny, inflatable wading pool like this. That way, dd had some water to splash in, but was at a safe distance from the ocean, when DH and I wanted to sit and relax. It only took about 2 buckets to fill it. We also brought along a small boat to float in it. Between that and a shovel, DD was happy as a clam.

Don't forget to reapply sunblock every 2 hours if your kids play in water. Water, sweat and sand causes it to wear off quickly.

A few new, small toys and books made our car travel time much easier. They were also a big help during waiting time at restaraunts.

[my4magpies]

my family & friends beach camp every summer. I always bring a small, cheap blowup kiddie pool for the babies to sit in with a little bit of water and toys. It keeps them occupied and out of the sand.

[SugarAndSun]

We live three minutes from the beach and go all the time. Dig a giant hole close, but not too close to the water, deep enough that you hit water. Then give your dc cups and a bucket if you feel like bringing one. This keeps 21 month old ds busy all day.

--Umbrella and tent thingy

--Jogger, great for naps

--Towels, sheet, chairs

--Swim dipe for days,warm clothes for night, morning

That's it! Let everything else go, you're at the beach.

[P'sMom]

We also live a few mins from the beach and go a few times a week with our DD who is 2--I would say depends on which beach, how long you plan to stay outside, and where you are staying! We prefer not to schlep too much, but it is also easy access for us to get to the car, if needed.

So, we stick to the basics--extra swim diaper, sunscreen, hat, large blanket or towel and individual blankets, a bucket with a few toys, water, and snacks!

For longer days we bring the umbrella and a real picnic.

[Flor]

We live a few minutes from the beach too, and I always overpack. I have to tell myself over and over, they never play with the toys!! But I still pack at least a dinosaur and a monster truck, just in case. All t hey really need is a shovel (one for me too). Don't get the cheapy plastic ones, they break. Look in the garden section for small kid-size metal shovels or trowels. They work so well. A bucket is good. I also always bring baby powder even though we never use it for anything else. It helps get wet sand off. It can be really hard to get wet sand off a kids hands or legs, especially if your towels get a little damp. Baby powder makes it fall right off. An umbrella for shade. Also, the beaches here (central Cali. coast) can stay foggy until 2 o'clock sometimes, even in August, so I always bring sweats or sweat shirts.